Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Republican Rep. Alex Andrade said Tuesday he was surprised the embattled Hope Florida charity actually employed an Executive Director.
By Wednesday, the news was out that Executive Director Erik Dellenback is leaving.
Dellenback’s resignation letter became public one day after he was in the hot seat during a House panel probe led by Andrade into First Lady Casey DeSantis’ charity.
“About a month ago, I officially resigned from my role in the executive office of the Governor for the State of Florida, effective May 1,” Dellenback wrote in the letter. “This resignation came after a very prayerful time with my family.”
Dellenback had been at Hope Florida since Jan. 14.
DeSantis Communications Director Bryan Griffin said in a statement, “Mr. Dellenback is resigning to pursue the opportunity to become the new CEO of Florida Family Voice and will remain involved with Hope Florida in an advisory capacity.”
Andrade reacted to the Executive Director’s resignation, saying on X, “The decision by Erik Dellenback shows his character and integrity. Unlike James Uthmeier, Mr. Dellenback wasn’t implicated in any wrongdoing.”
Dellenback defended Hope Florida’s mission during Tuesday’s hearing. But most of the closer scrutiny fell on others during the House subcommittee meeting.
Lawmakers criticized Hope Florida’s lack of transparency and are questioning how Hope Florida received $10 million from a Medicaid settlement and then gave $5 million to a political committee controlled by Uthmeier when he was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Chief of Staff. The money helped DeSantis defeat last year’s marijuana initiative. Andrade said he plans to dig deeper by interviewing more Hope Florida players and getting records all the way up to DeSantis’ Office.
Read more on Florida Politics.
Evening Reads
—“Donald Trump’s science cuts will be felt for generations” via Jonathan Cohn of The Bulwark
—“State Department eliminates key office tasked with fighting foreign disinformation” via Maggie Miller of POLITICO
—”Internal budget document reveals extent of Trump’s proposed health cuts” via Lena H. Sun, Carolyn Y. Johnson, Rachel Roubein, Joel Achenbach and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post
—“Why Harvard decided to challenge Trump” via Jeannie Suk Gersen of The New Yorker
—“Trump’s large mysterious bruise reappears as doctor issues health update” via Harry Thompson of Daily Star
—“Trump is talking about finding ways to send U.S. citizens to Salvadoran prison” via Shirin Ali of Slate
—”Federal workers are facing a new reality” via Elaine Godfrey of The Atlantic
—”Manufacturing jobs are never coming back” via Dylan Matthews of Vox
—”With strong Senate support, Florida moves closer to statewide fluoride ban” via Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel
—”Over Ron DeSantis’ objections, House votes to require appointees to live in Tallahassee” via Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix
Quote of the Day
“This isn’t an attack on our great Governor. This is simply bringing the second largest component of the state budget into the sunshine.”
— Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman, as the House passed a bill to limit DeSantis’ direct involvement in university president job searches.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Sen. Kieth Truenow can sip on a Strawberry Fields Forever now that FDACS’ agency bill has cleared the full Senate.
Attorney General James Uthmeier is serving a Game Over to Roblox amid growing concerns about the potential exposure of young users to harmful content and interactions with predators.
With the House on board and the Senate iffy, those hoping the Legislature revises Florida’s sovereign immunity statutes will likely have to settle for a Halfway There.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Heat face Bulls in play-in game
The Miami Heat try to keep the season alive as they travel to Chicago to face the Bulls in an NBA play-in game (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Heat (37-45) finished the regular season as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference and will face the ninth-seeded Bulls (39-43) on Friday. The winner will advance to play the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were beaten by the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night’s play-in opener, allowing Orlando to advance to the main bracket to face the #2 seed, the Boston Celtics.
The winner of tonight’s game would have to beat Atlanta to earn a first-round matchup with the top seed in the East, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The loser of the game is eliminated from the playoffs.
The Heat and Bulls faced off three times during the regular season, with Chicago winning all three games. The March 8 loss occurred during Miami’s 10-game losing streak, as the team struggled with injuries and the aftereffects of the Jimmy Butler trade. Miami finished the regular season winning eight of the last 12 games.
Chicago also finished the season on an upswing, winning 10 of the last 13 games and 15 of 20.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
